Date: April 14, 2006
Source: Company News
Florida Power & Light Company announced today that through its Sunshine Energy® program it has selected Rothenbach Park in Sarasota as the site for its first solar array. The park is located on Bee Ridge Road, east of Interstate 75 and is owned by Sarasota County. Today, during its regularly scheduled meeting, the Sarasota Board of County Commissioners approved the location for the site pending final permitting.
The 250-kilowatt (kW) solar array will be known as the FPL Solar Array at Rothenbach Park. The new solar facility will be the largest solar array in Florida and one of the largest in the southeast. The solar project is part of FPL's commitment to develop new solar facilities as a result of customer participation in the Sunshine Energy program. The facility at Rothenbach Park is the first solar project to be announced as a result of the Sunshine Energy program.
"We sought a location that had ground site large enough for 250 kilowatts of photovoltaic panels," said Jeff Bartel, vice president of external affairs for FPL. "We relied on input from the county to choose this location. Sarasota County officials have a strong environmental commitment and we are excited about the prospect of utilizing a closed landfill for a solar facility."
"We are pleased that FPL selected Rothenbach Park as the location to build its first solar array on the west coast as a result of the Sunshine Energy program," said Jodi John, manager of Sustainable Sarasota. ‘"We are proud to do our part for the environment and contribute to advancing an alternative energy source. We encourage everyone to visit the park and see the benefits of a renewable energy source first hand."
The 250-kW solar facility will prevent over 680,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the air each year. That is equivalent to not driving nearly 761,000 miles annually or not making the 460 mile round-trip from Sarasota to Miami about 1,600 times or the 2,600 mile round-trip from Sarasota to New York about 290 times. Construction on the new solar facility is scheduled to begin this summer.
Rothenbach Park is also the location of the closed Bee Ridge Landfill. The solar array will be mounted ground level and visible from the road. The solar facility will be built with 1,200 photovoltaic solar panels and will be more than 28,000 square feet, which is about half the size of a football field. Each panel will be about 31 inches wide and 63 inches long.
More information: www.fpl.com.
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